Despite the existence of many stress reduction products and services, stress and stress-related disorders still result in staggering economic and non-economic costs. It has been estimated that in the United States alone, job stress accounts for nearly $300 billion annually in terms of productivity, absenteeism and turnover. Over and above the direct work-related costs, attempts at treating stress and stress related disorders accounted for over $17 billion in anti-depression and anti-anxiety drugs in 2002. An ever upward trend in annual costs of such pharmacological treatments continues.
In addition, stress results in significant but incalculable costs due to concomitant health problems stemming directly or indirectly from underlying stress disorders. For example, studies have shown that people experiencing stress are more susceptible to viral and non-viral diseases. A common and well-known example of this is the relationship between stress and respiratory infections. Moreover, those suffering from an illness take longer to recover if suffering from stress as well.
Chronic stress can impair both the balance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the efficacy of the ANS, resulting in a myriad of stress related disorders. Impairment of the ANS results in degenerative disease and premature death. For example, a clinical study examined a single two minute measurement of the ANS from 14,025 healthy men and women between the ages of 45 and 64. After eight years, those with a lower parasympathetic measurement had a much greater incidence of disease and death. Three other studies (US, Denmark, and Finland) have also examined ANS function as it relates to “all cause mortality”. In each study, low parasympathetic ANS function preceded and predicted illness and death. Literally hundreds of other studies have examined ANS function as it relates to individual illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. For example, the British government commissioned a study on the ANS function and heart disease. Those with the lowest parasympathetic ANS function had more than a 1,000% increase in mortality rate from heart attacks. Non-economic costs of stress are also significant and include the harmful effects on relationships with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
The stress response involves two basic systems: the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system. The ANS generally innervates smooth muscles of internal organs and consists of sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. In simple terms, the sympathetic division is responsible for mobilizing energy to respond to emergencies (“fight or flight”), express emotions or perform strenuous activities, while the parasympathetic division acts to exert a calming influence and thereby balance the sympathetic system. As sympathetic nerves become increasingly active, they increase heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rates, mental activity (thereby agitating the brain) and other bodily functions. Thus, stress is maintained by high activity of the sympathetic nerves.
The endocrine system is also involved in stress-related processes. In particular, the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis plays a major role in the endocrine system's stress response. The hypothalamus secretes peptide hormones to stimulate the pituitary glands which in turn secrete its own hormones to stimulate other endocrine glands. The adrenal glands secrete cortisol which regulates metabolism and the production of energy and regulates responses in the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. Cortisol levels are directly related to the degree of an individual's stress response.
In the early 1970's Dr. Herbert Benson documented the existence of a neurological and physiological state opposite of the “stress response.” This state, called the “relaxation response,” has been verified by other clinical investigators. From an autonomic nervous system perspective, the stress response is characterized by high activity of the sympathetic branch while the relaxation response is characterized by high activity of the parasympathetic branch. Inducing the relaxation response by definition interrupts an activated stress response. Therefore, frequent activation of the relaxation response can prevent stressors from creating on-going (i.e., chronic) stress. Also, frequent activation of the relaxation response has been shown to reverse much of the damage, including hypertension, caused by previously encountered chronic stress.
The interaction of the two branches of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) can be characterized by examining the small changes in the time occurring between each consecutive heart beat. When an individual is at rest, variation in the beat to beat time is caused by the parasympathetic branch. This variation will increase and decrease according to an individual's respiratory pattern. During inspiration, the parasympathetic branch is inhibited, and the heart rate will begin to rise. During expiration, the parasympathetic branch engages and lowers the heart rate. This relationship between the changing heart rate and breathing is called respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). RSA measurements are mathematical calculations of the degree to which the heart rate rises and falls. When the rise and fall are greater, then the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system is greater. In other words, greater RSA indicates greater parasympathetic activity. As stated previously, a sufficient increase in parasympathetic activity shifts the body into the relaxation response thereby interrupting any pre-existing stress response.
Many attempts have been made to activate the relaxation response to treat or control stress, including both invasive and non-invasive techniques and procedures. For example, acupuncture, prescription and non prescription pharmacological treatments, and psychotherapy have all been used in attempts to relieve or control stress. However, each of these therapies involves significant costs in money and time. Moreover, the effectiveness of these treatments is often less than complete and is sometimes nearly non-existent. Effectiveness often is difficult to evaluate and is many times only temporary. In addition, pharmacological treatments frequently have undesirable side effects and some may even have addiction risks. Also, even with all the available alternatives, stress still is responsible (either directly or indirectly) for more than 80% of visits to doctors.
Accordingly, a clear need exists for methods and devices for evaluating and treating stress, wherein such methods and devices are effective, non-invasive, simple to use and inexpensive. In addition, a clear need exists for methods and devices which do not have unwanted side effects or create addiction risks. In particular a clear need exists for methods and devices which promote the reduction of stress by providing high levels of uninterrupted parasympathetic activity and which are capable of immediately halting the stress response.